The first book in the Bible is
the foundational book of the Bible. It is unique in all literature,
science, relationship, leadership, management and philosophy. The Book of
Genesis Is Probably the Most Important Book Ever Written. It is the revelation
of God's will to man and a self-disclosure by God giving us information we
could not gain from any other source. It begins with the book of Genesis,
explaining in just a few chapters, how the human race was brought into
existence by the personal activity of God who created the universe. It shows
that the first man and woman were the objects of His love and special
attention. They were created "in His image" (Genesis 1:26-27), and
were given the privilege of regular communication with Him (Genesis 2:15-17;
3:8) One man and one woman were appointed, not only as the progenitors of our
race, but also as God's stewards, His custodians and caretakers over the
creation. They were created with the characteristics of mind, emotions,
personality, and will. They were made creative, imaginative, inventive,
artistic, capable of loving and being loved--and above all, able to lead.
Genesis 1 is a very simple
narrative of the creation of the world; the heavens and the earth, the plants
and animals, and finally man. If Genesis were removed from the Bible, the rest
of the books would make no sense what-so-ever. Genesis is the book which
explains the origins of virtually everything that matters about history or
life. All we need to know about universe, revealed in the pages of Bible. In
Genesis chapter one is a very simple narrative of the creation of the
world; Simple, yet majestic in its beauty & profound in its depth. The
account in Genesis 1-3 is the foundation for all theology. The first eleven
chapters of Genesis serve as the foundation of all of earthly history. The last
chapters of Genesis (12 - 50) deal with the beginnings of a "Chosen People" the nation of Israel, Blessing of All Nations. We cannot deny or ignore
the significance of Israel in history. They are God-ordained, God-protected and
God-blessed nation; and Israel is God’s measuring rod, God’s blueprint for what
He is doing in the world. The Abrahamic Covenant was the promise of a special
blessing for Abraham's descendants: a "chosen" people. But it is
obviously not for their benefit alone, but that, through them, all people would
be blessed.
The
promised benefit to the whole human race was later revealed as the Messiah - -
the Deliverer from the penalty of sin. That is, the promise to Abraham was
really the promise of one unique seed, Messiah, in whom all the covenants would
find their fulfillment (Galatians 3:16). The theological term "eternal
covenant" refers to an agreement within the Godhead, made before the
foundation of the world, out of which all the covenants with mankind would
later flow. God chose the nation of Israel to be the people through whom
Jesus Christ would be born—the Savior from sin and death (John 3:16). God first
promised the Messiah after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin (Genesis chapter 3).
God later confirmed that the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3).
Jesus Christ is the ultimate
reason why God chose Israel to be His special people. God did not need to have
a chosen people, but He decided to do it that way. Jesus had to come from some
nation of people, and God chose Israel. God’s desire for Israel was that they
would go and teach others about Him. Israel was to be a nation of priests,
prophets, and missionaries to the world. God’s intent was for Israel to be a
distinct people, a nation who pointed others towards God and His promised
provision of a Redeemer, Messiah, and Savior. For the most part, Israel failed
in this task. However, God’s ultimate purpose for Israel—that of bringing the
Messiah into the world—was fulfilled perfectly in the Person of Jesus Christ.
In the creation accounts in Genesis, the
creation of humanity is shown as the high point of God’s creation. And
the implication is the profound value of human life. Man is the crowning work
of God’s creation that’s not a statement of arrogance, that’s a statement of
reality. Bible says “For we are God's masterpiece.” (Ephesians 2:10) However
there is a dangerous tendency in a corrupted culture that tends to demonize
people who aren’t look like, or dress like, or civilized like, or behave like our
own prospect. We have an inclination to discriminate and demoralize people in
our culture. So we need to begin with the book of Genesis to see the truth. As
image bearers of God, we reveal and unveil something about the character and
nature of God. The image of God, tells us that all human, regardless of whether
you like them or not and whether they like you or not, we all are created by
God with sanctity and dignity. No matter theist or atheist…rich or poor… African
or Asian… Black or white… High cast or No cast...men or women all human
beings are created in the “image” and “likeness” of God and, therefore,
uniquely distinct in existence. No other creature is like man; he is one of a
kind. Only man has been “crowned with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5).
In Genesis 1:26 “God said, 'Let
us make man in our image, in our likeness....'" The Scripture tells us something about the
great significance of the human race. Earlier at every other point God said,
"Let there be (something)," and then it came into being and God
pronounced it good. Without making any effort to plan or consider with himself
what he should do, God determined that light and darkness should be, that land
should be separated from water, that plants should grow on the land, and so on.
But at this point, the apex of creation, the final and best thing he would
do-and what he was aiming at all along-God said in counsel with himself, 'Let
us make man in our image” (thoughtfully, reflectively do the great thing now).
Let us make human beings." A second remark in verses 26 "' let them
rule....'" The dominion God gives human beings, mentioned in these verses,
is important. Everything else that exists should be under the care of human
beings like us. We were placed in dominion over all the created things, but not
to abuse them, ruin them or indulge our short-lived pleasures but to Govern,
mange, rule, lead, and dominion over them. This has profound implications for
the environment, for progress in technology, for the good governance. We don't
find ourselves falling under the spell of created things and natural processes,
reducing ourselves beneath them. We neither abuse them nor worship them, but serve
them and care for them, bringing order as God's delegated authority over His
creation.
God created man to rule over His
creation. “Let them rule” (Genesis 1:26) is the consequence of what God said
prior to that “Let Us make man in Our image.” God gave the right of dominion
over all living things to man. The command to subdue it (Gen 1:28) implies that
there was work involved, even in the perfect setting of the Garden, to bring
the creation under man’s rightful dominion. This dominion involves a stewardship
of the Earth and its resources under sovereignty Of God. An essential purpose
of God for humanity is made clear in this verse: "Let them have
dominion..." From the beginning, God intended human beings to be
"Leaders" of his creation. The role given to us by our creator is to
be good stewards of our world. Yet, there is another reason he created us. We
learn in the second and third chapters of Genesis a most amazing truth: God
created human beings so that He might have a unique relationship with his Creator
and to one another. We were made in "his image” that we might be capable
of Ruler-ship and relationship. When
God formed you, He placed in you all of the necessary gifting, callings and
talents you would ever need to fulfill His plan and purpose for your life. He
did not create you to disappear in life, halt, and fall short or to abort your
Purpose.
Unfortunately, some people’s
lives are filled with problem after problem and letdown after letdown. You name
it and most likely they have been through it: failed relationships, failed
marriages, failed health, failed government, failed leadership, depression,
frustration, or confusion, chaos and corruption. God did not design us to be
that way either. Pay close attention to God’s awesome blueprint for our life: John 15:16 says “You have not chosen Me, but I
have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might
go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that
it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as
presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.” The Lord God Almighty reveals why you were
conceived and for what purpose He set you in place, “that you might go and bear
fruit and keep on bearing fruit, and that your fruit may be lasting…” Jeremiah
29:11 God says “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.”
Only God knows what the completed
story will look like. You and I simply have to trust that He knows best and is
in control. No one in Jesus’ day could have dreamed up the outcome you and I
have experienced as a result of Christ’s death and resurrection. God alone knew
what that completed story would look like.
The Bible is the most amazing book that has ever been
written! Abraham Lincoln called it "the best gift God has given to
man." Patrick Henry said, "It is worth all other books which were
ever printed." Noted philosopher Immanuel Kant declared, "The Bible
is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced." You
can pick up any other book and read it, but this is the book that reads you. We
value Scripture above every opinion of men, above human reason, above
scientific inquiry, and above all other sources of knowledge because God has
exalted his word above all. It liberates a person from the prison-house of his
myths, class, race, customs, standards and even his own beliefs and traditions.
There are things the Lord wants
to reveal to you concerning His plans for your life. The only way He can do so
is through the path of the Written Word. There are no substitutes. In Proverbs
6:22, reveals three things that happen as you bind the Word of God upon our
heart; (a) the Word will lead you and guide you, (b) the Word will protect you
while you sleep, and (c) the Word will talk to you when you awake from your
sleep. The Bible is the fountain by which character is formed, mind is
refined& intellect is sharpened, as a result, one can stand against all
storms of life. It pulsates with life and power. It cuts, burns, crushes, and
wields mountain-moving power. His Word has a life of its own. It is the voice
of God to you. You cannot refuse it, deny it, distort it, or dilute it. You can
only bow before it. Hence we must guard ourselves against lowering the standard
of God’s Word to our level of understanding or political correctness. And we
must guard ourselves against raising the standards of human philosophy and
traditions above the standard of His Word. The Bible is not meant to be paraded
past the judgment bar of human mind. Colossians 2:8 Paul said “See to it that
no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends
on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than
on Christ.”
God owns everything that exists
and we are merely stewards or managers of our Father’s property. he is the
maker, owner, proprietor, possessor, source and sustainer of them all: But the
earth has he given to the children of men; to Adam and his posterity, to dwell
in it, to till it, and enjoy the fruits of it; yet so as not to leave it
entirely to the care of men, Psalm 115:16 says “The highest heavens belong to
the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind.”The one question we all should
be regularly asking is, “How vigilantly, efficiently and submissively am I
managing what God has entrusted to me?” One clear mark of trustworthy stewards
is that he is continually seeking advice from the Master to ensure that His
will remains at the center of how His resources are being managed. So let us
consider to understand the leadership in the Biblical perspective God is a God
of leadership and a perfect example. Bible says “With upright heart he
shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. (Psalm 78:72)
The original purpose for mankind,
defined and established by God in Genesis 1, was to "rule (have dominion)
over all the earth." Since the word "dominion" in this
case means to reign and rule, the Creator wired all humans with the capacity
and natural ability to lead. God created people to reflect His image, to rule
over creation, and to reproduce godly offspring. We can conclude that human
beings are wired for leadership. The greatest evidence of what a product can do
or is capable of its determined by the demands made on it by the one who made
it. Therefore, God's requirement that we dominate is evidence that the
ability to lead is inherent in every human spirit.
Bible says “Where there is no vision, the people perish”
(Proverbs 29:18). The most important source of leadership is vision. Nothing
noble or noteworthy on earth was ever done without vision. Vision consists of
foresight, insight and oversight that come from God’s sight. A vision from God
creates a mission from heaven. Therefore Visionary leadership never ends; only
leaders end. Visionary Leadership determines the mentality, the destiny, the
attitude, and the commitment of the followers. Visionary Leadership can create
action where there was hesitation; courage where there was cowardice; optimism
where there was cynicism, and strength where there was weakness. A Visionary
leader can create a spirit of hope where there was despair. You can only
lead people to the degree of the future that you have gone yourself. The act of
Visionary leadership is taking people from where they are to where they have
never been before.
In every follower there is an undiscovered leader waiting to
be released on demand. Despite the latent ability that lies beneath the surface
of our nonchalant attitudes, there are very few individuals who realize this
power that they possess. There are fewer still that have responded effectively
to the call of releasing that leader hidden in the follower. As a result, our
nations, societies, and communities are suffering from an astounding leadership
vacuum. We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided
each by a personal vision, of which there is no substitute. The world is all
doors, all odds. Therefore the most powerful reality on earth is vision. Visionary leaders are the builders of a new
dawn, working with imagination, insight, faith and boldness. Visionary
leadership is based on a balanced expression of the spiritual, mental,
emotional and physical dimensions. It requires clear vision, mission, core
values, empowering relationships, and innovative action. When one or more of
these dimensions are missing, leadership cannot manifest a vision.
A visionary leader believes that nothing is without a
solution and that there is not just one way to resolve problems. They never
surrender to limitations and are not afraid of problems. You will never do
anything great unless you are willing to face challenges. People who are afraid
of problems never accomplish success. Visionary Leaders are willing to try
anything once. People, who do not venture, never have an adventure. God is a
God of adventure. He told Abraham that He would take him to a place that he did
not know. Visionary Leaders engage the unknown with vision, faith and courage.
You have to be a visionary and courageous to be innovative.
In the recent past, many
governments have changed. It is not that the new governments are better. The
change came simply because citizens were tired of what they had. It is quite
sad when your choice is between mediocre and worse. An old man once said when
the citizens of his constituency were voting for a leader, “Well, there is the
devil you know, and the devil you do not know. Sometimes it is best to go with
the devil you know because you can predict his movements.” I am not sure about
that advice, but having to resort to this perspective says that nations around
the world need help.The world are in desperate need of good leaders. Our
communities need positive role models, our government needs righteous leaders,
our children need fathers and our world needs direction. Where are the leaders?
Who are they? Who is willing to accept the challenge, to face it head on with
integrity, character and a commitment to execute righteous judgment for a
better world?
Our quality of life depends on
the quality of our leaders. And since no one else seems to be volunteering,
it’s up to each one of us. If you’ve ever had dreams of leadership, now is the
time. God needs you. Now you must proceed to unearth the leader hidden within
you. Someone rightly said “Trapped within every follower is a hidden leader”.
For example God created seeds to produce trees and plants, and therefore seeds
naturally posses the inherent abilities and capacities to perform this purpose.
Fish were created to swim, and thus their ability and capacity to swim is
inherent in their design and instincts. Birds, on the other hand, were created
for the purpose of air travel and naturally come with the inherent design and
ability to fulfill that purpose. God created man with a purpose “Let them rule
("have dominions") over all the earth. Purpose is the reason for the
creation of something. In essence, it is the reason why a thing exists. Bible
says “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards
of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards
that one be found trustworthy” (1 Cor. 4:1-2).
Everyone deplores the apparent
lack of leadership around the world. Whenever there is a problem in society,
the last one in charge gets all the blame. This perspective is not right either
because leadership requires not only accountability, but you have to accept the
responsibility. Greed, timidity, and
lack of vision are rampant among the common crop of pseudo-leaders that
presently exist. Where are the genuine leaders? Where are the individuals who
would be willing to take responsibility for the present situation and the
conditions in the world right now? Where are the individuals who will be
willing to accept the challenge to execute righteous judgment for a better
world? From America to Australia and from Canada to the Caribbean, the world is
in desperate need of genuine, true leaders. Our communities need positive role
models. Children need fathers, and our world needs direction. Where are the
leaders?
This is not the first time that
an obvious vacuum of quality, effective leadership has prevailed in the world.
That is good because if it had happened before and the problem was solved, we
could look back in history and solve it again. A quick glance at the historical
record shows that during the period when moral, social, economical, political,
and spiritual chaos gripped the world, the greatest leaders in history
surfaced.
Unfortunately, even when we think
that we have found good leaders, it is also possible for them to disqualify
themselves as leaders. Hence, the cause of the leadership vacuum is evident.
Our world needs strong, trustworthy leaders who will lead responsibly.
At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads
other. We don't think of leadership as some set of indefinable, intangible
character qualities that some people are born with and others are not. We think
of leadership as the performance of behaviors. The character and skill of
performing these behaviors can be learned develop and refine by anybody.
Consider some of the world's recent great leaders. Nelson Mandela. Mother
Theresa. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates They all used their leadership talents--diverse
as they may be--to make lives better in some way such as achieving freedom,
improving living conditions in low-income communities, making advanced
technology available to all of us, creating a global foundation that propels
the idea that all lives have equal value. If you have the desire and willpower,
you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending
process of self-study, education, training, and experience.
People want to be guided by leaders they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. Good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to the society. Leadership is the collective action of everyone you influence. Your behavior – your actions and your words – determine how you influence. So the Leadership is inspiring others to pursue a vision within the parameters set, to the extent that it becomes a shared effort, a shared vision, and a shared success. Bible says “God wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. “(Micah 6:8) Hence Leadership is an act -a decision to take a stand, or step, in order to promote justice, inspire or motivate others to move with you, And influencing them by your character, humility, and example. Leadership is a process of common influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a common goal.
People want to be guided by leaders they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. Good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to the society. Leadership is the collective action of everyone you influence. Your behavior – your actions and your words – determine how you influence. So the Leadership is inspiring others to pursue a vision within the parameters set, to the extent that it becomes a shared effort, a shared vision, and a shared success. Bible says “God wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. “(Micah 6:8) Hence Leadership is an act -a decision to take a stand, or step, in order to promote justice, inspire or motivate others to move with you, And influencing them by your character, humility, and example. Leadership is a process of common influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a common goal.
The world at many points in its
history has produced some jewels which have shined brighter than many in their
generation and whose visions, beliefs, ideologies and lessons have been guiding
mankind ever since. However Jesus was the only leader in history who did
everything right—not only in saving the world but also in his daily life. Jesus
was the greatest leader and the most influential person ever. He Said “But
among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be
your servant”. (Matthew 20:26) Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a
condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful
leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice of servant attitude. You
can only lead people to the degree of the future that you have gone yourself.
The act of leadership is taking people from where they are to where they have
never been before. . People, who do not venture, never have an adventure. God
is a God of adventure. He told Abraham that He would take him to a place that
he did not know. Leaders engage the unknown with faith and vision. You have to
be visionary to be innovative. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a
follower.